Written answers

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Appointments to State Boards

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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505. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government what were the special circumstance that he referred to at the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht when making an appointment (details supplied) in November 2011. [29210/14]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The statutory provisions governing the appointment of a new Director General are set out in Section 21 of the EPA Act, 1992. The Board of Directors of the Environmental Protection Agency consists of a Director General and four Directors. There are no non-Executive members on the Board.

While the appointments are made by Government, it must choose from candidates selected by an independent statutory Selection Committee, following an open competition. The composition of this Selection Committee is also specified in Section 21 of the Act and, where a vacancy arises, the Committee is required to select a maximum of three suitable candidates from among those who compete in an open competition.

The Director General post is executive in nature, and under Article 25 of the Environmental Protection Act 1992, the Director General, if present, chairs meetings of the Agency. Therefore, there is a dual role to the Director General post in terms of chairing the Executive Board and also acting as Chief Executive of the EPA, serving both governance and management roles, as well as that of the Accounting Officer for the EPA.

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht request to Chairpersons designate to make themselves available to the Committee was in line with a Government decision on appointments to State Boards. However, given that the appointment of a Director General to the EPA is a process established under primary legislation and that the decision is made by Government from a shortlist of candidates, the appointment process must be conducted in accordance with the legislation. This would not, of course, preclude the Committee from inviting a newly appointed Director General to meet with the Committee should it wish to do so.

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